It took almost half a
century, but we are getting closer and closer to having
those wristwatches that will transmit video, provide
instant messaging, and communicate with virtually anyone
on the planet. In a recent lecture at Columbia
University’s Strategic Communications Program, Trylon
CEO Lloyd Trufelman discussed new technologies and the
impact they are having on information distribution.

Wi-Fi, SMS, streaming video,
weblogs, satellite transmission, and more are taking the
information distribution model from the desktop to the
laptop to the cell phone to the…that’s right, the
wristwatch.

The development of new
technologies offers a vast new territory for those in
the business of distributing information. How these
opportunities are developed and exploited will determine
the success companies have on placing themselves in the
spotlight.

A little more than a decade
ago, we viewed the first battles with Iraq via
television. People were glued to their sets as they
watched bombing missions and information sessions via
satellite transmission.

Today, people don’t even
have to wait to get home to receive the same
information. As Trufelman demonstrated during his
lecture, they could be sitting at a Starbucks or on a
park bench, looking at their laptops and viewing
streaming images from any of dozens of news sites.

Now confined to wi-fi
“hotspots,” wireless Internet access will spread just as
rapidly as cell phone areas did, with access through
smaller devices becoming more commonplace over the next
few years.

Everyone from the phone
companies to the cable companies and even the power
companies want to supply this access. This scramble for
market share will inevitably lead to lower pricing,
greater access and more users.

In today’s world, people no
longer need to slog through a half-hour news show to
find out what the weather will be tomorrow. They can
simply log on, grab the forecast in a heartbeat, and
move on.

This access to targeted
information will become very important to companies
wishing to disseminate their news and information.
Instead of issuing mass press releases, businesses will
need to determine where their audiences access this type
of information and how they can get their news in front
of those audiences.